Rhinotropis cornuta

Sierra milkwort

Family: Polygalaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Sierra milkwort is a California native perennial found in rocky or open habitats of California's mountain regions at elevations from 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from spring to summer, this plant produces delicate cream to pink flowers with ciliate wings and subtle rose to green keel petals. Growing with slender stems emerging from underground rhizomes, it forms low, spreading clumps typically 15 to 45 centimeters tall. Its leaves are linear to ovate, measuring 10 to 65 millimeters long with a narrow, graceful form. The fruit is dark yellow-brown, 5.9 to 10 millimeters long, and includes small, hairy seeds with distinctive aril coverings.

California counties: Shasta, Fresno, Sierra, Mariposa, Siskiyou, Nevada, San Diego, El Dorado, Butte, Yuba, Trinity, Mendocino, Plumas, Humboldt, Lake, Del Norte, Ventura, Tehama, Placer, Los Angeles, Amador, Calaveras, San Bernardino, Sonoma

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.